The present invention is a new female blade receptacle, electrical connector. The blade receptacle is particularly useful, in plugs for business machines and computers, where a female receptacle plug connects to a three blade male fitting on a computer or business machine. It may be used with electric blades and blades in plugs.
The present invention is particularly adapted in the automation of the making of female receptacle plugs. The blade receptacles are preferably progressively stamped on a stamping strip. Alternate blade receptacles are overfolded so that all blade receptacles extend on the same plane from the stamping strip end. By being thus constructed, the blade receptacles can be put on reels and fed into crimping machines were wire sets may be machine crimped to the blade receptacles.
The present invention is a stamped metal female blade receptacle having three sides and a longitudinal opening. There is a flat side and curved side. The metal is resilient so that the curved side releases from the plastic when molded into a plug. In a plug the receptacle is supported against unwanted flexure and biased against a received blade providing full surface contact on one side of the receptacle. The sides of the receptacle do not fatigue in use. The receptacle is economical of metal and adapted for automated crimping. The structure of the receptacle enables one size receptacle to serve blades of various widths and thicknesses.
The female receptacle may be used in automated procedures in conjunction with premolds or cores. Premolds or cores better enable machine crimping and enable easier and better positioning of the female blade receptacles for final molding into a plug.
The receptacles can be provided, integral on a stamping strip and alternately folded over to be parallel to each other for machine crimping.